Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
King
Jim pouts in the driver’s seat of his tour bus as I lean forward and mess with the CB buttons.
Kenny watches me from his perch—a very expensive branch Jim purchased at a boutique pet store.
When I told Jim I could produce the same out of any tree on the side of the road, he turned white as a sheet and said something about pesticides or parasites or .
. . I don’t bloody know. I tuned him out when I started thinking about chasing Josie through the desert.
I still can’t believe she agreed to it. She seems excited to try this little fantasy of mine. I can only hope the excitement lasts and doesn’t turn into something harmful.
Her past isn’t lost on me, and I am sensitive to what she’s endured.
I also know that the sexual act itself isn’t connected to the lingering trauma.
It was the loss of control. The lack of voice.
She couldn’t stop it, and she could tell no one of consequence what she’d been forced to endure.
When she finally escaped her abusive family, she couldn’t rationalize the lies she’d been fed once she’d tasted the truth of the world.
She also struggled with the realization that escape didn’t mean a better life than the hell she’d risen from. It was a rebirth, but birth is always painful. New men hurt her in new ways. She hurt herself in new ways too. And when she grew too weary, she fell into the sea.
I don’t know that I believe in fate or any such rot, but I do think some greater force had a hand in her rescue that day. She sank near a crab trap as a small group of fishermen were going out to haul it up, and they hauled her up instead.
The thing is . . . she doesn’t remember any of that.
I smirk to myself. Maybe it’s time I let her in on just how she came to be at Jim’s facility—the unredacted version.
“Why do you look so pleased with yourself?” Jim says. “I haven’t agreed to anything.”
“You wanted me to fall for the girl, and I have. I’d think you’d be quite proud of yourself for succeeding once more. Why are you suddenly making it more difficult by denying us access to the secret trail?”
“Probably because I’m scared you’re losing sight of the bigger picture. Have you even read the letters from today?”
I open my mouth, then close it. “I will. We’ll park at the Nevada campground tomorrow, and I’ll read them once Josie falls asleep.”
Jim shakes his head. “It is what it is, I suppose. But don’t forget that you’ll have no happy ending if the Carter children choose to kill you in the end.
I love you, King, I truly do, but I won’t stand in the way of their healing.
If they opt to take you out as the final target of the trip, I won’t stop them.
I will, however, hate you forever if you cause it to come to that. ”
With my hands folded in my lap, I sit back in my seat, well and truly chastised.
“Go on and call her up and let her know you have a date, but you’d best not leave those letters sitting longer than you’ve promised me. The moment we land in Nevada and she falls asleep, get them out. We’re too close to the end now.”
“Thank you, Jim. I’m doing my best to bring about the positive ending for everyone. I’m trying.”
“I hope so.” He stands and takes Kenny onto his arm. “I’ve got to put the bird to bed. The coordinates for the secret trail are on the map in the glove compartment. Lock up when you leave.”
Jim shuffles off, and I pull the CB mic from the holster. I flick on the power and wait until I hear his cabin divider slide shut before I depress the button. Then I remember that I still need to grab the coordinates.
I find the numbers in the glove compartment. After comparing the coordinates to the map, I see that the head of the secret trail is hidden by an information sign. Instead of giving Josie a bunch of random numbers she probably won’t know what to do with, I opt to tell her where the sign is.
I’ll give her a head start.
“Air Force Fun to RV There Yet. I want you to head to the information sign. Slip behind it and start running, because as soon as I catch you, I’ll rip off—”
Feedback buzzes, and I pull the mic away. Ice Pick’s voice breaks through.
“Yeah, uh . . . I think you dialed the wrong frequency, Kenneth.” He gives a nervous chuckle.
“I think you meant to call up that big-tittied redhead friend of yours. I mean, I’m flattered if you meant me, but King .
. . I just don’t know if I’m comfortable letting you strip me down to my tighty-whities. ”
I scrub my hand down my face. “Please disregard all of that.”
Before I can fuck this up any further, I hang up the mic and lock up Jim’s RV. Then I make my exit. After all, I can always give Josie a head start from our RV. Just maybe not a very big one.
I’m ready to play in the woods, and I might even decide to keep whatever I catch.
A slight chill nips my skin as I scour the scrub for signs of recent passage. In this section of the campground, there’s far more rock cover and places to hide. The further I move down the trail, the more greenery I begin to see.
With no city lights to compete with, the stars blaze above me in ways I’ve never seen before. Not in all my travels. I’ve seen star-filled skies, but I’ve never seen an Arizona star-filled sky like this. I can’t wait to see it with Josie.
I just have to find her first.
And catch her.
The trail cuts down a shallow embankment before doubling back a touch and meeting up with a stream. When I hit that, I catch my first glimpse of her—a shock of dark red snared in a sliver of moonlight. It’s enough to awaken an ancient hunger within me.
I crack my neck, suck in a slow, deep breath, and set my sights on my prey.
She knows I’m behind her now. A squeal slips out of her, and she skirts along the narrow strip of water with a glance backward every few strides.
More moonlight lassos her cheekbone, raising it higher; she’s smiling, and it loosens a knot of trepidation from my chain.
Her smile lets me know she’s okay, that she’s enjoying herself too.
If that smile drops, if I see even a molecule of genuine panic or discomfort on her face, I’ll stop. For her. It won’t be easy, but I’ll shove this beast back down where he can’t hurt her.
The stream narrows even more—so much so that she clears it in a simple leap. I do the same, but my knees threaten to buckle when I land on the other side. I grit my teeth and promise my body I’ll get back to the gym schedule just as soon as I know I’ll live to renew my membership next year.
Josie slips when she tries to hop over the water again, and it’s the opening I’ve been waiting for. I make the leap and land just in time to stop her from falling into the burbling stream. Instead, she gets to fall into me.
“Caught you, little minx.”
I wind my arm around her and hoist her over my shoulder. Even though there’s a nip in the air, the exertion works up a sweat on my back. I can’t wait until I find the right place to lay her down so that I can strip off this—
She wriggles out of my hold and lands on her feet. With a giggle and her middle finger tossed over her shoulder, she takes off running again. I corner her in only a few strides, at a fork in the path.
She stutters between the two options until I snag her arm and yank her against me.
“Oh, fuck my inability to make a decision under pressure.” She kicks her legs and tries to break free again, but I won’t let her get away so easily. Not before I’ve satisfied her needs.
I wrestle her closer to a juniper tree mixed among the start of a ponderosa pine forest. A butterscotch scent tantalizes our senses anytime we brush against their bark, but it’s the twisty trunk of that juniper that I’m headed toward. A low-slung branch provides just what I require.
I bend her over that gnarled arm and snatch down her shorts. Then I pluck a switch from the ground and crack it through the air.
“You’ve been extra terrible tonight, haven’t you?”
She bites her lip and nods at me.
I fist my cock through my shorts and crack the switch against her ass.
Her hands fly to the branch, and she sucks air through her teeth.
My fingertips glide forward and find the warm welt I created.
With a growl, I lower my mouth to the tender flesh and drag my tongue over it from tip to tip.
Her toes curl into the earth, and I’m rewarded with a nervous whimper.
Gentling my touch, I stroke her unmarked ass cheek. “Never forget that you’re still in control. If you need to stop, just say the words.”
She takes a breath, and when she lets it out, it’s steady and strong. I squeeze her ass, and her whispered whimper sounds much more authentic. A raging storm rushes through my veins, and I can’t have her naked fast enough now that I’m certain she’s okay.
She tries to bring her thighs together, but I ram my leg between hers and drive my thumb into that welt until she relents.
“Good girl. Do what it takes to please me, and I’ll make you feel good. Fight me, and I’ll make me feel good. Understood, my beauty? And I do mean my beauty. Tonight, I own you.”
I pat her cheek, then wrap her hair around my hand before she can answer. Unless she says squash casserole, her answer is yes.
Keeping one hand on her hip, I start to ease my cock out of my shorts. Unfortunately, one of the traits of this particular juniper is its propensity toward being brittle. We witness this brittleness firsthand as the branch cracks under her weight and sends her to the dirt.
Ass squarely in the wind, Josie rises from the dust with a bright blush gleaming high on her cheekbones. She brushes off her knees, plants her hands on her hips, and nods at the offensive state of the poor tree.
“Well, I’m never eating a single calorie ever again,” she says.
“Nonsense. You’ll eat whatever you’d like. The tree was weak. Now march.”
I bend over, pull her shorts from the grass, and stuff them into my pocket.
Gripping her arm, I lead her back toward the pines and to something a little sturdier.
The thicker the trees grow around us, the more grass we find underfoot.
A canopy eventually hangs over us, and only a few stars peer at our filthy forest game through the occasional gaps in the treetops.
“This will do nicely,” I say as I bring her to a stop.
I force her to the forest floor, and as my knees collide with the earth, I’m happy to find soft undergrowth here. Using her is the name of the game, not causing her pointless discomfort. I only tolerate discomfort with purpose, such as the elevation of pleasure.
Some desert animal calls out in the distance—a coyote, perhaps. Josie calls back with a whimpering sound as I push her flat to the ground and drive my weight on top of her. I leave just enough space that she can draw her next breath, but only just.
My teeth clamp onto her shoulder, holding her in place as I work open my shorts. Once my cock is free, I push my hand between her legs. I drag my fingers through her pussy and judge for myself just how much she’s enjoying this game.
“Oh, you like this, don’t you?”
With her head turned to the side, she nods, eyes closed.
“Say it, my beauty. Tell me what you think of being chased and used in the woods.”
“I like it,” she says, and her voice doesn’t quiver. Her chin rises, and she owns her pleasure as I push two fingers inside her. She grunts against the grass, then throws her head back. “Fuck, you’re about to make me come already.”
I flip her onto her back and slip my fingers into her warmth once more. I curl against something delicate and feminine inside her, and a moan rolls over her parted lips. She tightens around my knuckles, and I hover over her as waves of ecstasy rush through her.
“Come for me. That’s what this was about. This first chase was meant to remind you how much control you truly have, even when you feel as if you have none. I hunted you so that I could serve you. Now come for me. Own your pleasure.”
She tips her head back. Every muscle in her body tenses as the orgasm rips through her. Her thighs ratchet down on my hand, but I don’t stop coaxing more out of her. I don’t stop until I hear her utter a garbled supplication as she sees God and nearly pisses herself.
The moment I’m off her, she gasps with a wide smile on her face. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen her so thoroughly happy.
“Wow,” she says, and moonlight glints off the tears forming in her eyes. “That was pretty incredible.” She turns her head and looks into my eyes. Her fingertips brush mine, and I take her hand. She licks her lips and swallows hard. “Thanks for reminding me I was still in control.”
I place her hand on her stomach and drag my fingers down her side, then trace circles on her bare thigh. “You have all the control. You always have.”
We lie like this for a moment longer. Until the intimacy is too much for her to bear. It’s the sort of silence shared between people with titles she isn’t sure she’s allowed to want. And here I am, considering giving her whatever title she’d like right now if she’d only kiss me.
If she’d do that, I’d live for her touch alone.
I’d make love to her.
We could return to our debauchery after that, but just once, I’d give her a sensual experience that would leave her without a shadow of doubt. Each fingertip would caress sonnets into her soul. The words would confess my ultimate sin: I love you, Josie.
My eyebrow rises. I don’t hate the idea.
She sits up and looks around for her shorts. I fish them out of my pocket and hand them off, and she slides her legs into them. Sprigs of dry grass cling to her hair, but I don’t lean over and pick them out. There’d be no point.
As I said, that was just the first chase.
The first of many tonight.
This dark horse has miles to run before I’ll let her bed down and rest. Even then, I may ride her in her dreams. That’s how insatiable she makes me feel.
And once I’ve thoroughly emptied myself into her, I’ll tell her everything about my past. From the reasons for the experiment to why things changed.
I’ll give her everything she needs so that she can have all the control—all the control to reduce me to ash or give me the strength to withstand the impending hellfire.
Because tonight, I must take a page from Mr. Darcy’s book and let my Elizabeth Bennet know how much I admire and love her. My pride will be damned to hell when I make my confession, but I don’t mind losing this bet if it means I win her heart.